1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to InfiniBand port monitoring. More specifically, the invention relates to determining the type of node connected to an InfiniBand port and identifying proprietary devices attached to an InfiniBand port.
2. Description of the Related Art
InfiniBand is an industry standard architecture that may be used for interconnecting systems in cluster configurations, by providing a channel-based, switched-fabric technology. In such a configuration, data may be transmitted via messages which are made up of packets. Each device, whether processor or I/O, may include a channel adapter. The messages are typically transmitted from one device's channel adapter to another device's channel adapter via switches. The InfiniBand architecture is described in “InfiniBand Architecture Specification Vol. 1-2.” October 2004, Release 1.2, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
An InfiniBand network may also include a number of management entities such as Subnet Managers (SM) and Subnet Management Agents (SMA). Typically, the Subnet Managers are responsible for configuration of the network and for handling the dynamic addition and removal of nodes from the network. The InfiniBand architecture may be implemented in numerous configurations, including replacing the current generation of proprietary high speed interconnects used by many server manufacturers.
For many configurations, the cost associated with the Subnet Managers, and a large number of switches, becomes significant. One possible way to reduce this cost is to connect proprietary devices directly to an InfiniBand port. These proprietary devices typically do not require switches or a Subnet Manager. On other InfiniBand ports there may still be a standard InfiniBand network. However without a Subnet Manager, difficulties may arise when attempting to configure and manage the proprietary devices. There may also be problems maintaining compatibility with the InfiniBand protocols required for the InfiniBand port to operate properly. The absence of a Subnet Manager may also cause difficulties preventing interoperability problems with ports that do connect to a standard InfiniBand Network.
Therefore, what is needed is the ability to identify and manage multiple InfiniBand links in a mixed environment with switches and proprietary devices.